A
fourth-generation San Franciscan, Edward Galland Zelinsky passed
away peacefully of pancreatic cancer on September 23, 2004. Ed was a
co-owner of Main Street Properties in Tiburon. He was active in real
estate and property management in San Francisco and other Bay Area
communities.

Ed Zelinsky was a very kind man and was considered
a visionary and major moving force in the community of Tiburon. Any
committee with Ed on it was going to make a difference in the small
southern Marin town on the edge of the Bay. It was Ed who dressed up
the old clapboard buildings of Tiburon’s historic downtown.
Tiburon’s downtown properties are either owned by Main Street
Properties or Belvedere Land Company. Both were very gracious
landlords who helped people and worked to make the town the place it
is today. To that end, Ed, an avid collector, went to auctions and
destruction zones of older properties. He brought back bits of
brick-a-brack, sconces, deck railings even the black and white horse
caddy statues that dot the front of Ark row buildings, from these
many expeditions. He succeeded in giving the facings of his Main
Street shops both character and charm.

He
was the co-owner of the Musée Mécanique in San Francisco, one of the
largest private collections of coin-operated mechanical art in the
world. In 2002 there was a mad scramble by the Park’s service and
City to help find a new home for Ed’s Musée Mécanique collection of
mechanical amusement toys. When it was learned by the public of the
possible loss of access, there was an outcry that included a
petition of over 25,000 signatures.

The Cliff House basement had been the home to the
collection for many years. The plan to renovate the Cliff House by
the Parks service had been developed over 2-years but that plan did
not include Ed and son Daniel’s amazing collection. Reported in
Streetwise, in an article by Steve W. LaBounty, April 2002. Steve
eloquently said: “ In the burst of attention the Musée received, I
found myself interviewed by a news crew. They asked me to explain in
a sound bite why a basement full of mechanical gizmos, flip-card
movie machines, player pianos and chuckling robots is of historical
significance. I said each machine offers a moment our grandparents
may have experienced. This isn’t a movie, a photograph, an oil
painting hanging in a museum. This is three chances to hit a steel
ball against the 1937 World Series team. This is a miniature
farmyard of dolls come to life, a Ferris wheel of toothpicks made by
convicts, metal-men boxing matches, and Susie the puppet dancing the
Can-Can.

What I should have said about the collection that
Mr. Zelinsky and his son shepherd into a new century is “Where else
can you get a piece of heaven for twenty-five cents?” Due to all of
the attention brought to Musée Mécanique, Ed and Dan were approached
by Bay Area photographers Pat Mazzera and Catherine Lynch. They
asked about creating a book, depicting many of the 300 items in the
collection. The book became a reality shortly after the Musée’s move
to Pier 45 at Fisherman’s Wharf. Quoted on the facilities website,
Daniel who runs the Musée Mécanique is quoted saying, “Throughout
the years, tens of thousands of families and schoolchildren have
delighted in playing the mechanical games and listening to the
lively music. “They get a big smile on their face,” Dan said. “It’s
a fun experience.”

Ed Zelinsky began
collecting antique automata in 1933 when he won a one-cent penny
arcade machine in a raffle. The collection now includes between
200-300 coin-operated machines, ranging from Barbary Coast
orchestrians to today’s video games. The permanent rotating exhibit
of these fascinating machines, some dating back as far as the 1880s,
can be seen 7 days a week located in Fisherman’s Wharf. Long time
San Franciscans may feel nostalgia to see Laughing Sal, who
delighted (or terrified) visitors to Playland at the Beach from 1940
to 1972. It is all there. Saved for generations today and those to
come by Ed and Daniel Zelinsky for the pure joy of seeing people
smile.

With
his wife Laleh, he co-founded the Tiburon Children’s Film Festival.
He was also founder of the Virtual Museum of the City of San
Francisco and active in various civic causes including the San
Francisco County Fair, San Francisco Film Festival, National
Maritime Museum Association, California Historical Society, and the
Tiburon Peninsula Chamber of Commerce. The San Francisco Film
Festival is dedicated to giving new talent and films not picked up
for distribution a chance to be seen and those who win in the
festivals are given support for their artistic excellence.

As an ardent maritime-history enthusiast, his
interest in old sailing ships began with the restoration of the
Balclutha in 1954 and continued with his efforts to save the
historic landmark vessel S.S. Wapama and also the Vicar of Bray. He
received the American Ship Trust award for distinguished service in
1995 and will be honored posthumously with the San Francisco
Maritime National Park Association’s Maritime Heritage Award on
October 14. He served as a Trustee of the World Ship Trust of
London, England.

Ed was a key character in leading the charge to
bring Ferry service back to San Francisco Bay. The Tiburon line is
still today the only line on the West Coast that operates without
subsidy. Ed approached the Crowley family to have a boat dedicated
to taking those from Tiburon who worked in San Francisco back and
forth to work. Today the primary boat that serves the Tiburon
commuters is called The Zelinsky.

He was man who made a notable mark in many arenas
of interest and communities around the Bay. Ed Zelinsky will be
missed but remembered with a smile for all history he saved and the
smiles he brought to the face of our community. In a speaking with
Ed’s office representative I mentioned I’d never met him. “I’m so
sorry for your loss.” She said, “He was a fine man who was a
pleasure to know.” Thank you Ed Zelinsky and our best to your entire
family.

Ed is survived by his beloved wife Laleh S. Zelinsky; his loving
daughter Miriam Davina G. Zelinsky; his devoted sister Barbara Z.
Abrams of Belvedere; two children from a previous marriage, Dale Z.
Jewell of Sebastopol and Daniel Zelinsky of Mill Valley; and four
grandchildren.

A memorial service was held
in his memory on Wednesday, September 29, at 10 a.m. at the
Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St. (at the corner of Lake and
Arguello), San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be
made to: